Flagpole in the Wind

The sun, finally settling into its sunday slumber, sends out stunning golden rays that slip through the delicate flag cloth, creating shadows on your porch. The metal rigging at the top of the pole hammers, seeming to ring out the end of the day, paying tribute to grand memorabelia of statehood and the subtly remembered saviors of freedom. A flagpole, flagstaff, or staff can be a simple support made of wood or metal. If it is taller than can be easily reached to raise the flag, a cord is used, looping around a pulley at the top of the pole with the ends tied at the bottom. The flag is fixed to one lower end of the cord, and is then raised by pulling on the other end. The cord is then tightened and tied to the pole at the bottom. The pole is usually topped by a flat plate or ball called a "truck" (originally meant to keep a wooden pole from splitting) or a finial in a more complex shape. Since 2011, the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world has been the Dushanbe Flagpole in Tajikistan, with a height of 165 m (541 ft), beating the formerly record holding National Flagpole in Azerbaijan (size: 162 m; 532 ft) and the North Korean flag at Kijŏng-dong (size: 160 m; 525 ft). The largest flag regularly hoisted in the world is the Brazilian national flag flown in the Square of the Three Powers in Brasilia, the Brazilian capital. This flag is about 3380 square meters (8740 square feet) and has never been taken down since opening in the mid 1960s.